Tenacity
by roguespirit
Summary: A young inkling couple is expecting their first child. Atlas and Starla are dealing with the anxieties, troubles, and joy of bringing a new into the world while dealing with the troubles their own lives bring.
1. The Coupon Lady

Atlas Kelper tried not to grunt as he carried full grocery baskets through the short aisles of his local grocery store. He cursed himself for not staying in better shape and the store for organizing its goods in a manner that required him to go all over the store just to locate a handful of different items in very illogical places.

' _Seriously, why would they put cookies at the end of the frozen section when the sweets are at the other end of the store?'_ He thought bitterly to himself. His mantle reflected his mood, shifting between various shades of red.

His aggravation was stoked when he got to the only cash register that was attended and there were six people ahead of him in line. The person at the front was digging a large assortment of coupons from her purse, eliciting a vexed expression from the cashier.

The people behind her had already dug out their phones in anticipation of a long wait, but he had both his arms full. He could, of course, put the baskets down to save his arms but he had just enough macho pride in him that he refused. A certain part of him also wanted to defy the stereotype of his generation and resist taking out his phone, giving him a sense of superiority.

As the lady at the front handed the cashier the coupons one by one, his mind wandered, trying to keep itself occupied while only dimly paying attention to the events around him. Filtering out his irritation at the woman in front and the tiredness in his arms helped calm him, his colour shifting to a less aggressive dark blue. He marveled at the way the cashier managed to maintain his natural green despite his irritation and growing pressure as the line continued to grow. There were four people behind Atlas now and they seemed just as annoyed as he had been.

"Why don't they open another register." One of the Inkling's behind him muttered angrily. Atlas couldn't agree more with that statement but he suspected that if they had anyone to crew another register, they would have done it by now.

Fortunately, once the coupons were finally scanned, the cashier was quick, and with the coupon lady out of the way, the line finally began to move, and in less time than she had occupied on her own, all the people in front of Atlas had gone through with their purchases.

Atlas quickly piled his large assortment of items onto the sales counter, happy to be rid of the baskets and give his arms a brief respite. The cashier standing behind the register stared at the pile of groceries for a moment before giving him a knowing smirk.

Atlas tried not to make eye contact with the cashier as he scanned the purchases. There were only a handful of reasons why an Inkling his age would purchase so many groceries at once, and since the lack of junk food disqualified any kind of party or get-together, that more or less left a hungry expecting female as the only possibility.

Mercifully, the cashier made no comment, and allowed Atlas to pay in peace then leave with his dignity. The plastic grocery bags were harsher on his hands than the basket had been, but he was just glad to be out of the store and on his way back home.

It was a weekend so the streets of Inkopolis' suburbs were relatively quiet as everyone headed off to fight turf wars or some other 'fun' activity. The young, rebellious part of Atlas wanted to drop everything and join them, but it was promptly squashed by his sense of duty and responsibility, a part of him that had become much more dominant since beginning his adult life and especially after his marriage. Besides that, he'd never been a very good battler in the first place and if someone asked him, he said he didn't enjoy it.

Throughout his teenage years, he had never managed to get above C rank, being left behind by his friends who continued on into the B ranks and one even made it to S+. It wasn't just his friends either, the other guys in school all seemed to achieve better than he had, making them popular with all the girls and dashing all his hopes at winning the affections of Starla, his high school crush.

Knowing there was little point in continuing to battle, he focused on his studies, getting himself into a good university. There he studied economics and after graduating he landed himself a job at a marketing firm where there was always plenty of business, especially as the economy was on the upswing.

After a good twenty minutes of walking, Atlas arrived at the front door to his house, a small, but fairly new, blue two-story house in which he, his mate, and soon another, would live and grow in. He managed to open the door with two fingers and placed one bag on the floor of the porch to close it behind him.

"I'm home." He announced. No reply. Kicking off his shoes he carried the grocery bags into the kitchen and set them on the counter. No sign of her.

There were other places she might be, the bathroom for instance, but if she wasn't in the kitchen emptying the refrigerator, pantry or cupboards then there was really only one other place she would be.

He went back into the hallway and made his way to the back of the house where the corridor opened into the large living room with a concrete floor and sliding glass doors which opened into the backyard and brought plenty of natural light into the room.

To his right, the couch had been pushed into a corner that was normally reserved for his mate's workspace. A few weapons were cluttered around a collection of open magazines with a small work bench in the adjacent corner. On the left side of the room was the television, and where the couch used to be, was a large rectangular glass tank, gradually being filled with water and with a pair of oxygen pumps installed. Finally, sat in the armchair next to it, rubbing her bulging middle through her shirt, was his lovely mate.

Her sparkling purple eyes stared in the direction of the tank but their gaze was on a very distant place. Her mantle gently shifted between a dark pink, a light blue, and purple. Her natural colour was the same purple as her eyes, with black at the tips, but lately, he'd been seeing much more blues and pinks from her as her egg laying day approached.

He smiled and watched her silently for a few moments. She was so lost in the realm of her own daydreams that she didn't notice his presence until he finally spoke.

"I'm home Starla." She bounced a bit in her seat from surprise, her mantle flashing yellow-orange and stared at him for a second before she calmed down.

"Geez, don't scare me like that."

"Don't blame me for being lost in your own thoughts." He chuckled as he walked over to his pouting wife.

"Did you bring the groceries?" She asked indignantly.

"Yes, I didn't forget." He replied with a barely suppressed groan, but at least it got her to smile at him.

"Good; bring me some." Suddenly her voice was all cheerful.

"It's in the kitchen. You can get up and go there to eat it." He extended his hand, offering her help up but she protested.

"You'll make the female carrying your big heavy egg get up and walk all the way to the kitchen just for a little bite?"

"There's no such thing as a 'little bite' with you anymore." He retorted with an air of authority. "And besides, it's good exercise." She let out a whine but accepted his hand, letting him help her up until he found himself looking up at her as she stood to her full height.

On average, female Inklings were roughly one-third taller than males and sometimes double the mass thanks to having longer and more developed tentacles. Starla stood almost two heads higher than him. Hardly the largest disparity between a couple but still striking.

"How much longer do you think it will take to fill?" She meant the tank.

At the moment it was just over half filled. It was a seventy-five hundred liter tank and by the time it was full enough, the water would be over a meter deep. At three meters long and two meters wide, the tank was meant to provide more than enough space for mother and child to swim and play. Of course, that much water would weigh a lot but there were reasons he had chosen a house with a concrete floor.

"At least another few hours," he told her. "Plenty of time. Then we'll have a night or two to get ready."

With a gentle push on her back to encourage her, Starla waddled out of the living room and to the kitchen where the recently purchased foodstuffs still waited in their bags.

"I told you we should tear down that wall." She grumbled, gesturing to the inside wall of the kitchen. "Then we could have an open concept house. What were they thinking?"

"It was to the previous owner's specifications." Atlas reminded her, and not for the first time. "There are reasons we got a five-year old house so cheap."

"Well, I still think we should do it." She went on. "I wanted it done before the baby hatched. It can't take too long to tear down a wall can it?"

Atlas had asked a contractor friend of his about the job and after inspecting the wall said that it should be a fairly simple job but would also create a lot of dust in the house and depending on any unforeseen difficulties, could take two or three days to do properly. With Starla expecting by then, neither thought it a good idea to perform house surgery until the baby could leave the tank. The topic kept coming up however as Starla was constantly regretting that decision.

"It would take too long now." He said at last. "Now sit and eat. Baby's probably hungry and that's making you irritable."

One of her tentacles flipped back and whacked him lightly on the side of the head. "I'm not irritable." She insisted as she carefully sat herself down. "Just…. nervous."

Atlas rubbed the side of his head and smiled, reaching out to touch her hand. "I know Snuggle Sponge; I am too, but you'll be a great mother and with all the work we're doing to prepare, the baby will be healthy as a seahorse." He meant every word as if he were proposing to her all over again, offering her the bright pink coral ring she currently wore on her finger.

Starla simply nodded and began digging through the bags and sorting out things that could be easily eaten or not. "Can you get a pan out?"

"Of course."

He noticed the corners of her mouth tug slightly upwards as he got up and headed to the cupboards. When he had graduated high school he would have never guessed that he would have actually succeeded in getting to date his high school crush, much less marry and have children with her.

Back then, Starla had been the most beautiful girl in school. Perhaps not the most popular but she had been up there. Like most girls, she was interested in Turf Battles and guys who did Turf Battles. She dated a few of those guys, some of the best jocks in the school, while he, with his C ranking, languished at the bottom and with no hope of being cool. His heart was broken believing his crush would never so much as look him in the eye. Even when they shared a class, he drowned his sorrows in his studies, managing to put his teenage anguish to good use and propel himself to the top of class marks. Despite being derided as 'unfresh', he managed to stay out of the sinkhole of depression and graduated high school with honors.

Although some of his Turf Battling school mates did end up going pro, most of them simply weren't good enough and struggled to find any sort of direction in life. Starla had been among them, but she managed to pick herself up and start her own little business decorating weapons for Turf Battlers, something she proved a talent at with a number of regular customers. He could only admire her for trying something totally new as a way to make a living.

With the pan retrieved he started frying up some of the fish meat sausages while Starla munched on some of the barely edible but very filling and nutritious protein snacks. Atlas felt oddly happy though as he was frying the sausages. Here he was, with the love of his life, still young and expecting their first child in a relatively short time. What more could he ask for?

"Atlas?"

"Yes, darling?"

"Do you want to set up the tank tonight if it gets full early enough? It shouldn't be too much work to at least get the simple stuff in, right?"

Atlas shrugged. "I'm sure we can get the heating coils put in tonight and at least start trying to heat the water up, the oxygen pumps are already in there but putting the plants in is going to have to wait until tomorrow at the earliest. Same with the rest of the sand."

In order for both his wife and child to breathe comfortably underwater they had to ensure it had oxygen in it, which was what the oxygen pumps were for. The plants would be far too few to do it on their own, but their main purpose was for their baby to have something to interact with besides it's mother and the sand would help make it feel more homey and less artificial.

"Tomorrow then." She mumbled. "It has to be perfect." Her hands wandered downwards and she started to rub the bulge in her belly. "It has to be."

Atlas left the sausages for a moment and wandered over to his wife to kiss her on the cheek. "It will be, because you will be there, and our baby will be perfect because it came from you."

She uttered a healthy chuckle and nuzzled against him. "Oh, you. Always such a sweet talker."

"I speak only the truth Sugar Rush." He smiled, giving her a quick peck on the lips. "Now just worry about eating. That egg will come out before you know it."

He walked back to the stove and turned the sausages over, sighing quietly to himself, knowing that tomorrow was probably going to be even more frustrating than the coupon lady had been.

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 **Author's Notes:**

 **My second Splatoon story that was born of a discussion about whether Inklings are born or hatched. Updates will be twice a week.**


	2. The Tank

"I think the plants should be more spread out. If they're all clustered together it makes the rest seem barren, and besides, the baby might get lost in them. Oh, and I'm thinking the rock should have at least two plants around it."

Atlas was struggling to maintain his composure, which for an Inkling also meant keeping his colour neutral. He loved Starla more than anything in the world, but some days she was the most aggravating creature in his life. People had often joked that preparing the tank was the biggest test of a relationship before the baby actually came and sometimes destroyed them. Suddenly it didn't seem like a joke.

The oxygen generator had been operating all night, making the tank habitable by morning. The first hours of the day had been spent installing the filtration system to keep the water circulated and clean. The moment that was done, Starla took out her collection of bookmarked magazines and started telling him where to arrange everything, again and again, and again.

Atlas stood atop a step stool leaning over the side of the tank and trying to organize everything according to his mate's constantly changing instructions. He'd lost count of how many times he had rearranged the plants and Starla didn't seem to have any better idea how she wanted them arranged now than when they started. He had been prepared for some frustration, but not at this level. It was like he was standing in a line full of coupon ladies.

Starla sat on the nearby armchair with her legs spread to not aggravate her swelling nidamental glands, a sure sign the egg was coming soon, within the next forty-eight hours they guessed. Starla's mantle was orange with black spots in constantly changing patterns, a sign of the urgency and frustration she felt. If she was so urgent then why did she keep changing things again and again?

She let out an aggravated groan and slouched in her seat. "I don't get it. Nothing seems quite right somehow. I like a lot of the arrangements in these magazines but I can't have them all and I haven't been able to find a combination that works."

Atlas sat on the top step of the stool and faced her. "You never asked your mother for advice? This used to be her tank after all. You were born in this tank."

She frowned. "I know, but mother and I have never seen eye to eye on interior design or fashion. Besides, if she came here she'd have us rearranging everything over and over."

Atlas gave Starla an annoyed look. A heartbeat passed before it elicited a pout of resentment from her, but no comment. They sat there, in silence, for about a minute before Atlas spoke up again.

"Maybe we can focus on getting things just right when you're actually in there. It's probably something you can only really tell once you're inside. Starla seemed to consider this for a moment but her brows furrowed as her eyes drifted back to the magazines.

"But all these articles say it's important to have it right before you go in so that you can relax. It's important to be relaxed when you pass an egg."

"Well right now what you're doing seems to be having the opposite effect."

She huffed. "Easy to say when you're not the one carrying the egg, crabby."

"You're the one who's 'crabby' here, not me." He shot back.

"Don't yell at me!"

"I wasn't yelling! You're yelling!"

"Stop arguing with me!"

"You started it!"

The couple glared at each other, their chromatophores pulsing furiously, but Starla's eyes started to well up and tears began streaming down her face before she buried it in her hand, crying.

Atlas was suddenly overwhelmed with regret. How could he have been so immature? He leapt off the step stool and wrapped his arms around his wife.

"Starla, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get angry with you. Please don't cry. I'm sorry, really I am!"

Starla sniffled and hugged him back tightly, wrapping her arms around him and crying onto his shoulder.

"I just…. I just want it to be perfect." She sobbed. "I'm…. I'm scared Atlas."

"I know" he whispered back, gently rubbing her mantle as tenderly as he could. "I'm am too. I'm sorry."

He felt like a failure. Snapping at his wife like that; losing his temper so easily with her. HOw well did that bode for dealing with their even more sensitive child? He didn't want to end up as a father who constantly yelled at his kids or at his wife.

"You'll be a great mother." He reminded her. "You're great. Really and I'll do my very best to support you both and take care of you."

Starla nodded and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I know you will. You've never let me down before. If I thought you would, I would never have married you. But I did."

He smiled at her and gently stroked one of her tentacles. "And you made me the happiest guy in the world when you did." This earned him a smile back at her and they touched their foreheads together in a kind of mutual understanding.

"I think," Starla whispered. "I think it's time."

Atlas gulped nervously. "A-are you sure? You don't want to wait a little longer?" She shook her head.

"No, it has to be now. It's just… instinct I suppose." She caressed his cheek lovingly and her eyelids fell halfway. "I'm sorry, I know it's a bit sudden but…"

"It's fine" he interrupted, placing a finger over her lips. "I trust you."

They parted and Starla took one last look around the room. "Well then, I'd better get cleaned up."

"All get the last few things ready then. I'll see you shortly Sugar Sponge."

"I have to make sure I'm perfectly clean." She reminded him as she headed into the corridor. "So don't expect me too soon."

"Just gives me a little more time." He replied, but she was already around the corner and out of sight.

Atlas stood there, silent, unmoving. He heard Starla make her way upstairs. A closet door opened, probably grabbing a towel; then more soft footsteps and the bathroom door closed.

He let out a heavy sigh and scratched his head. "I guess I'd better get the last few things." He mumbled. Suddenly the fact that they were having a child felt more real than it ever had before.

Starla stepped into the shower and uttered a tiny gasp as the hot water hit her. She needed a moment to adjust to it's temperature before she began the process of cleansing herself to a degree she hadn't since her wedding day.

There wasn't much actual grime on her since she spent most of her time in the house, even prior to being with egg. Having her kind of business at home didn't often get one out of the house unless errands had to be run, and Atlas did most of those on his way back home from work.

Thinking about her husband running such errands brought a smile to her lips. Perhaps she was simply happy to have such a reliable and caring husband. She had boyfriends before him who were fitter and certainly treated her well, but none of them ever gave her the sense that she was provided for, the security that made her feel comfortable bringing a new life into the world. Well, as comfortable as she could be under the circumstances.

She winced as the hot water started to run over the swollen glands at her nethers. She didn't dare look at them; she was afraid of what she would see. She forced herself to focus on bathing.

Grabbing a brush she started scrubbing herself vigorously, wincing as the coarse bristles scraped at her skin, sensitive with her eggnancy. She forced herself to bear with it. She had to be as clean as possible lest she risk contaminating the tank's environment. The soap and washcloth wouldn't get enough on its own.

Starla spent a long time scrubbing every inch of herself, biting down hard on her lips as she scrubbed her raw nethers but not hard enough to draw blood fortunately. As she scrubbed, her mind wandered, comparing her current situation to the dreams and aspirations of her youth. Maybe it was a natural thing when entering a new stage of life. She did it the night Atlas proposed to her, on her wedding day, and again when they moved into their house. Now, with her belly bulging with her egg, she thought again about her past self.

She had barely even known about Atlas back in high school. They shared only a handful of classes in all their years there and he had never been part of the popular crowd as she had. Although she knew now that he had participated in Turf Battles, she didn't recall ever seeing him fight.

Her boyfriend throughout most of high school had been Argus, one of the best Turf Battlers in school and currently competing on the pro circuit. Unfortunately, while he was never really a bad guy, he had always been a bit arrogant and by their last high school year, she found she couldn't stand it anymore, leading to an unpleasant breakup.

A few months later she started dating another guy named Sirus. Nice guy, but a bit irresponsible and immature. They dated until half a year after high school, by which time she decided to get more serious with her prospective mates and find someone she could build a life with. Sirus had been nice and caring but she needed someone a bit more grounded.

After that breakup, she found herself even more aimless than before, not sure what to do with herself other than getting a new boyfriend. When her friend asked her to decorate her Splattershot for an upcoming tournament, she discovered she enjoyed it and her friend had also been pleased with the results. Inspired, Starla decided to start her own little business as a way to get some form of income. It hadn't been easy since she still probably didn't earn enough to make a decent living from on her own, but it gave her a sense of purpose and worth.

It was while doing research into expanding her business that she attended a class hosted by the marketing firm that Atlas was currently working at. After the class, she ran into him by the vending machines and vaguely recognized him from high school. He had also clearly recognized her.

They got to talking about how they'd been doing and she found out that he was doing a paid internship at the firm for his last year of university before they would hire him on again full time. She had been so impressed how this guy she barely remembered and hadn't seemed remarkable to her at all in high school, suddenly became this confident and successful guy. She remembered her hearts fluttering and her mantle turning all sorts of bright colours. Deciding not to let the opportunity pass, she asked him out, and from there, they got to where they were today.

The reminiscing helped the time pass and abate awareness of the pain from the harsh scrubbing, but now she was clean, every square millimeter of her skin scrubbed. Just in time too because she was now running out of warm water.

She hurriedly shut the water off before she got plastered with frigid cold and then grabbed a towel to being drying herself off. Her skin felt raw from the harsh scrubbing, even with their softest towel, but she dealt with it and slipped into the silver bathrobe Atlas had given her for their first anniversary.

Now that she thought about it, it seemed a little silly to get dry when she was only going to get wet again. Still, she didn't want to track water all over the floor or risk slipping and falling.

"Well, I guess I'd better get going." She sighed to herself. She couldn't keep Atlas waiting and she needed to get in the tank before she got sleepy. Being eggnant at this stage made her sleep almost half the day and it was almost her usual bed time.

She held tightly to the railing as she very carefully traversed the stairs. Every step caused pain in her glands to flare up and she found herself envious of the inklings that went to stay at the underwater quarters to lay their clutches. Just walking was terrible but stairs were even worse.

When she returned to the living room, Atlas was sat in the armchair, with her special pillow on his lap and his mind off in another world.

' _Typical of him.'_ She smiled and shook her head, sweeping into the room with light steps. He only realized her presence when she was barely three feet from him.

"Oh, Starla. Um… uh, everything's ready." He gestured towards the tank, more specifically the small step or platform mounted on the top of the wall where the step stool was placed. That would make it much easier and safer to get into the tank.

The filtration system was now running, creating a gentle hum that she hoped wouldn't be annoying, but they had done a lot of research into selecting each and every component of their hatchling aquarium and using her parent's old tank had saved them a small fortune. Most families rented them or bought something small and cheap.

"I trusted you." She assured him. They shared a quick kiss and then he embraced her tightly. It would probably be the last time in a while he would be able to fully and properly hug her, and she realized it herself at that moment; so, she hugged him back firmly, wrapping him in both her arms and tentacles.

They stayed like that for a long time before they reluctantly separated. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment before they both took a deep breath and Starla approached the tank.

The water was calm except for the ripples created by the constant stream of bubbles from the oxygen generator and vibrations of the filtration system. She placed her hand on the glass to try and gauge the temperature of the water. When she last felt the glass, it had been cold to the touch, but now it felt about room temperature. Not warm enough for their baby yet but there was still time before the egg came out.

She inhaled and then her hands went to the sash tied around her waist, unfastening her robe and tossing it playfully at Atlas. He gasped and floundered a bit trying to catch the robe before it hit the ground, showcasing the lack of hand eye coordination that had kept him down as a C rank turf battler.

She giggled at his antics and smiled mirthfully as his face and mantle flashed red at seeing her naked body. Even after over a year of marriage she could still get that reaction out of him and it always made her smile. She wouldn't need a bathrobe where she was going.

Very carefully, she climbed up the step stool, measuring every step until she reached the top and sat on the small platform mounted on top of the wall. She took a moment to peer down into the rippling water below, her habitat for the next couple of months at least. It was a little surreal.

Atlas wordlessly handed her the special pillow made for sleeping underwater. His face had that kind of forlorn look she didn't want to see on him, but at the same time, she wondered if she now wore a similar expression. She forced her smile and accepted the pillow.

She swung her legs over the side and into the water, which felt cool to her skin. Normally her body would adapt quickly but being eggnant made her body much less flexible.

Now she took in a deep breath of air and let it out very slowly. Flaps opened in her neck as she practiced moving her gills. She had spent the past few weeks making sure her gills were healthy and strong enough to support her under the water and let her breathe. Now was the moment of truth.

She let the pillow fall into the water first and then slipped herself off the platform and slid into the water with a small splash. Her gills opened and water passed through them. She felt relieved when she felt she could breathe confidently. There was plenty of oxygen in the water, it was a good temperature and the sand at the bottom was easy on her feet.

If she were to stand fully in the tank, most of her head would be out of the water, but she remained crouched, slowly falling onto her side and moving the pillow to a comfortable place where she could rest her head. Already she was feeling drowsy as primal conditioning immediately made her feel more comfortable in the water.

She could see Atlas watching her through the glass. His expression worried, yet hopeful. It almost brought another giggle up from her chest. "It's great." She told him. She saw him smile and nod back at her.

"Good night." He says. His voice came through a bit garbled as her body still needed time to fully adjust to the water, but she knew what he said anyway. She mouthed back a 'good night' of her own before she snuggled against the pillow and placed a hand protectively over her abdomen before slipping into a peaceful slumber.


	3. The Delivery

Starla felt unnaturally calm. Despite having been in the tank for well over half a day, she felt little in the way of boredom or anxiety. She felt oddly safe, secure, and relaxed as she lay on the sand. The gentle hum of the oxygen generator, heat pump and filter were the only things that seemed to disturb the serenity of her environment.

Her glands, while sensitive to the slightest touch, seemed to have numbed, a clear indication that the egg would be coming very soon. She only hoped that it would hold until Atlas came home from work. His recent promotion had kept him busy but she still wanted him to bare witness to both the laying of their egg and the hatching of their child within it.

She stretched her limbs out, removing what few kinks she had in her joints and took a deep inhale of water through her gills. She was surprised how quickly she had adjusted to staying in the water. Without the stress of maintaining her rigidity, her body was much less tense. This was why Inklings still laid eggs in water. It was not only healthy for the baby but it actually made the effort of laying eggs much easier with a more relaxed body that didn't have to expend effort being rigid.

Her eyes gazed lazily at the clock mounted on the wall, the green digital number distorted by the glass and water. 3:00 PM. Atlas wouldn't be home for hours. Even with an egg on the way, he couldn't use that as an excuse to get out of work early.

Her growling stomach suddenly echoed off the tank's walls, reminding her that she had nobody to go to the kitchen and bring her food. Atlas had left her a large amount before he'd left for work but she had eaten it all by noon and was now regretting her lack of restraint. Being eggnant had turned her into quite the sea pig, but there was a practical upshot.

Starla balanced herself on her fingers, pushing her body up off the sand and then pushed herself upwards. Her bulging belly breached the surface first and when her head came up she took her first lung of air in what felt like ages. The extra fat her body had developed to better incubate the egg helped her remain buoyant at the surface. She couldn't determine if she felt more or less relaxed at the surface but decided that it wasn't enough to worry about and thought about other things instead.

Her mind almost immediately wandered back to thoughts of her baby. What would it look like? She had asked herself that question so many times and knew Atlas had as well. Would it be a boy or girl? His eyes or hers? Would it inherit her deep purple as its natural colour or Atlas' green or a combination of the two? What would its personality be like? More like her or him; or would it be one of those children behaved like neither of its parents? Thinking about that made her giggle as memories surfaced of her and Atlas' just starting to know each other.

She would never have thought Atlas would be her type; she had always liked confident guys. By stark contrast, Atlas had almost tripped over on his own tongue asking her out the first time. It was that memory that had made her giggle.

After meeting up for the first time in years by that vending machine, they had exchanged numbers and started meeting up for tea on the weekends. He always insisted on paying, a clear indication he liked her, but she had been used to that.

It was on their fifth or so tea date when he had actually worked up the guts to properly ask her out. She had been wondering when he was going to get to it. He had blushed terribly and stammered for probably a whole minute before he managed to get the words out. She found it oddly endearing but had been planning on saying yes anyway.

Starla's body tensed as she retroactively chided herself for being so material then. Inkling females judged prospective mates by a pyramid of three parameters: provision, genetics, and…. well, the last one was often different for every girl, but Starla defined the third corner as 'attraction', or something suitably intangible. Seeing Atlas so successful at such a young age with a promising future had given him a good provision score. She wondered how shallow she must have looked to others back then, looking at wealth and prosperity first before the other two values. She wondered if Atlas knew.

If he had he made no indication of it on their subsequent dates. She wondered at what point she had genuinely fallen in love with him. When he left a strong impression on her parents? When he helped her with her business? When he….

"...just showed me how much he loved me." She murmured, smiling as the realization dawned on her, and she felt like a fool. "I never would have had a baby with someone I didn't love, even if I told myself I didn't care."

Starla's body relaxed again, brought back to peace by the satisfied feeling that she had married the right guy. She would have to remind herself to have an important conversation with her child, son or daughter, about this someday.

Suddenly her reclaimed serenity was shattered by a fierce cramp attacking her abdomen. The pain forced her into a tight ball, causing her to slip below the surface and slowly fall down to the sandy bottom as her gills took over.

' _No, not now! Atlas isn't home yet! Please baby, please wait for Daddy!'_ She knew the pleading was pointless. It was not the baby's choice or her own when the egg fell out, it was an involuntary biological process, and both mother and child were at its mercy.

Starla was overwhelmed by deep regret, even as she felt the egg slowly begin to descend. She wanted Atlas to be here, to see the egg emerge, to share this important moment with her. But there was no helping it now.

She gritted her teeth as the egg began to spread her hips and descend. She could also feel some pressure from her glands being released as they began to cover her egg in a protective sack. It was painful but not agonizing.

She forced herself to uncurl and went on her hands and knees. The arguments she had read in magazines and online about the best stance to adopt when laying her clutch raged in her mind. She just had to avoid sitting on the egg and make sure she could spread her legs nice and wide, and this seemed to be the most instinctive position.

She felt the egg finally breach, exposed to the outside for the first time. The fluids emerging with the egg tainted the water in discoloured wisps of blue, yellow and off-white. Her face flushed with exertion, turning blue as more blood rushed into her face. She pushed with all her might, forcing the egg out slowly but surely. Her lower body stretched as the cantaloupe-sized egg was forced out and finally landed in the soft sand between her legs.

Starla's body went limp, her gills heaving as she panted from the effort. She always knew that pushing out an egg was work but she didn't know it would be that tough. Her hips and abdomen ached from the effort and stretching they had been forced to endure, but the worst was over for now.

' _At least until Atlas comes home and finds out the egg's already here.'_ She thought glumly.

He would be disappointed, perhaps even sad. He might even beat himself up about not being here for her when the egg came. She could only hope that he would get over it quickly and not let it bother him. They could only pray that he would be there for when the egg hatched. Pushing aside the aching pain and discomfort, Starla pushed herself up off the sandy floor and turned herself around to look at her egg for the first time.

The white translucent sphere was in turn covered by the white egg sack, making it impossible to actually see the life developing inside it. The egg had felt massive coming out of her but looking at it now she was amazed how small it actually turned out to be. She could hold it quite comfortably in two hands or even one hand if it wasn't something as precious as her egg.

Even underwater she threatened to break out in tears, her hormones and emotions rampaging through her system. She nestled herself close to the egg- her egg, wrapping her arms and tentacles protectively around the precious sphere and holding it close to her.

She could feel the warmth emanating from the egg but she still felt the need to keep it warm herself. The egg would not hatch for a while yet and still needed its mother.

She nuzzled the egg affectionately, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling of the egg sack around the egg itself. Even after millennia of accelerated evolution, the protective sack still had the means to ward off predators with its bad taste and its poisonous nature. It wasn't necessary within the safety of the tank but she appreciated it nonetheless.

"You're halfway out into the world my little one." She whispered to her egg softly. "Just a little longer and you'll be out. And when you are, Mommy will be here for you. Mommy is right here."

Atlas groaned in relief as he collapsed into his chair. The day's work was finally done, three hours after his shift was supposed to end. The sun was below the horizon, leaving the sky in a state of eerie purple twilight. From the nearby window, he could see Inkopolis tower lit up brightly, like a beacon attracting every turf battler like a moth to a flame. Unusually, Magenta and green lights seemed to be emanating and flashing from the plaza around it.

"Great work today!" Atlas jumped in his seat and spun around, facing his boss, a Jellyfish named Jellardo.

"Ah, of course sir. Sorry it took so long."

Jellardo swiped his tentacle through the air in dismissal. "Nah, you got it done sooner than anyone expected, and it wasn't your fault. You can't be blamed for the work being later when you get it. Still, it's a load off my mind. I have a meeting with the clients tomorrow morning and with the work being done now it'll go much smoother." He let out a short laugh. "I have to say though, I've never seen an Inkling work so hard behind a desk before. I'd even say it was novel."

Atlas tried not to let any kind of expression show on his face from that comment and simply tried to smile as naturally as he could. Inklings didn't have a good reputation as far as work ethic was concerned. They were considered a hedonistic species that neglected responsibility and cared only about entertainment and pleasure. Even in Inkopolis, it could be hard for an Inkling to get a job simply because of that reputation. Fortunately, Atlas' school marks had been enough to set him clearly apart from the stereotype and the internship had let him prove his worth. It didn't make him popular among many of his Inkling coworkers though; all of whom had gone home hours ago.

"Well… I was always different I guess." He managed to reply.

"Yes, I noticed that. Say, you mentioned you have a baby on the way don't you?"

"Huh?" Atlas felt his stomach plummet. He had been so busy, so worried about trying to meet a deadline that he had completely forgotten his duties as a father, and as a husband. Their egg was due anytime and the more time he spent at work the more likely he was to miss it! Even if he hadn't, Starla would probably be furious at him for staying at work so late.

"I…. I think I'd better head home."

His boss chuckled. "Yes, I think you'd better. Well, you've earned it. I certainly hope you can pass your work ethic onto your child. It'll be better for the world."

"I'll certainly try." ' _For its sake.'_

"Good night then Atlas." His boss waved as he left.

"Good night sir."

Atlas waited until Jellardo's back was fully turned before he hurriedly packed all his things into his briefcase and grabbed his suit jacket before rushing to the elevator. He rode it alone all the way to the main floor and rushed out the doors, thankful that it was too late in the day for a receptionist to be there reminding him not to run.

Run he did though, for block after block until he finally got to the train station, a heaving, panting mess. He'd never been very athletic, at least not for an Inkling, but he still felt like he was more out of shape since getting his desk job. The handful of other people on the platform barely noticed him.

He hadn't even managed to fully recover his breath when the train pulled in and he had to board. Still panting, he didn't feel comfortable sitting down and instead grabbed onto one of the loops dangling overhead.

Some of the other passengers were teenagers, carrying with them their Turf War gear. They were the usual mix of exhausted but elated or disheartened. All of them either wore a green shirt or a magenta one, each with its own associated image of a pretty Inkling girl on it. The same colours as the lights he had seen at Inkopolis Plaza.

He didn't recognize the girls on the t-shirts, but they were probably the latest pop idol craze. He never bothered keeping track of such things. Pop idols would come from nowhere as a sensation one moment and then within a year, people would be acting as if they were ancient history. He doubted the two on the shirts would be any different.

He was glad to depart the train and start on the twelve block journey home. After such a long day stuck indoors he felt he needed the outside air to clear his head. The last thing he wanted was to arrive home to his expecting wife looking like he had the world on his shoulders.

Stepping up to the front door of the house, he took out his keys and took in a deep breath, willing the most obvious indications of his exhaustion out of him. He opened the door and slid inside.

"I'm home!" He was still used to hearing a reply from his beautiful wife after a few moments. Even during her eggnancy she was usually awake when he arrived home. He couldn't always expect that while she was in the tank; besides, he was pretty late today.

Leaving his briefcase and jacket in the kitchen, he started to loosen his tie as he headed into the living room to check on Starla. When he arrived he found her curled up on the bottom of the tank, lying still. Her mantle was full of blues and pinks, so bright and vibrant she seemed to glow. That at least indicated that she wasn't in any kind of physical trouble, but Starla didn't curl into a ball when she slept, he'd slept with her enough to know that. Unless….

He swallowed and a lead weight seemed to fall into the pit of his gut. Could it be? Carefully he moved towards the tank, never taking his eyes off of Starla.

When he was about a foot away Starla woke. For a second her so her mantle flashed an angry orange but cooled to her natural purple when she realized it was him.

"You're late tonight," She said softly.

"I know. Sorry." He licked his lips anxiously. "Did I miss it?"

Starla smiled at him apologetically. "Sorry."

She opened her arms and withdrew her tentacles, showing the white sphere that had once occupied her abdomen. His heart seemed torn between sinking and soaring. He had missed the delivery of the egg, but at the same time, he was beholding that egg for the first time, the egg that contained their child, now in the last stages of its development before hatching. In the end, his delight overpowered his disappointment and his heart finally broke free, putting a silly grin to his face

Starla giggled and wrapped her arms around the egg again, but kept the tentacles off so that Atlas could still see it. "It arrived this afternoon." She said softly. "Even if you came home at the usual time, you would have missed it."

Atlas let out a sigh. "Yeah, I did want to see it. Wanted to be here for you when it happened. But I'm just glad to see it right now and see you still alright. Speaking of which, you must be starving by now."

"Famished." She agreed. "I won't need as much to eat now though, so don't go overboard."

Atlas smirked. "I dunno. You've been enjoying eating large amounts for a long time now. If I gave you a regular meal you might just get grumpy."

Starla glared at him but smiled good naturedly. "Just for that, you're on the couch tonight."

Atlas laughed. "Oh no, what will I do."

"Go make me my dinner." She made a shooing motion with her hand and Atlas obeyed it. He was hungry too and in a way, this would be the first meal for both of them with the egg out. Maybe he would make something a little special.


	4. The Sister(-in-law)

Atlas tried not to look impatient during meetings but his mind was constantly aware that he had an egg back home that could hatch at almost any time. He didn't want to miss that. The boardroom at the Nuvo Ad Agency had never felt so suffocating in all the times he'd been in it, and never before had a meeting seemed to drag like nails on a chalkboard the way this one was.

He and eight others sat around an oval table, crammed into the small room like sardines as his supervisor gave his report. Atlas had no real issues with his supervisor. He was a King Crab of good nature, but when he spoke for long periods his voice had a habit of putting people to sleep. Only the clicking his mandibles made seemed to keep them awake.

He had to fight the urge to look at his phone every minute. It was off now to avoid interrupting the meeting but his hand constantly slipped into his pocket and held it firmly as if waiting to answer it. He couldn't help but fret over the health and safety of his wife and egg back home, and again he worried about missing seeing his child hatch.

He and everyone else were glad when the meeting was finally over. Stepping into the hall from the stuffy and stale conditions in the boardroom felt like going outdoors. The regular office air was refreshing by comparison.

Atlas went to his desk and took care of some emails while he waited for the clock to hit 5:30. When it did, he wasted no time grabbing his things and hurrying to the train station. On the way, he checked his phone and was relieved to find no messages; either that or Starla had dropped her phone into the water and ruined it. His ride on the train didn't help his nerves. It was crowded, hot, and smelly, more so than usual, it seemed. He suspected someone had either spilled something or was carrying foul groceries, never a good idea during rush hour.

Getting off the train felt even more refreshing than it had getting out of the boardroom. The wind and fresh air helped revive him and give him enough energy to jog down the sidewalk towards home.

His heart felt lighter when the red roof of his home finally came into view. He slowed down to a walk to catch his breath and not return home to his wife looked haggard. Well, any more so than he could avoid it anyway. She always seemed to worry when he came home exhausted.

As he got close, one of the pedestrians on the sidewalk turned and started up the walk to his house. It was a girl- a teenager judging from the school uniform she was wearing. Who was she and what she was doing at his house? Then she turned her head in his direction, locking her cerulean eyes with his.

"Hey bro!" She waved. Atlas' shoulders slumped as he realized who it was and he suddenly felt very tired again. Dealing with his sister was always exhausting. He walked up the footpath, meeting his sister at the foot of the porch steps. Her natural colour was a more aquamarine compared to his darker, more primary green, and even though Foame was actually much younger than him, she was only slightly shorter than he was.

"What are you doing here Foame?" He asked tiredly. "You're quite a ways from home aren't you?"

She shrugged. "Well, you know I just started high school. I wanted to show off my new uniform." She spun around proudly and Atlas had to deflect her tentacle club to keep it from hitting him in the face. Her uniform was clearly too small for her, especially since her skirt was clearly hiked up. He decided not to mention it.

"What are you doing here?" He repeated. "You could have just sent us a picture over IM if that was all you wanted."

His sister huffed and put a hand on her hip. "Obviously I want to see the egg that will be my niece or nephew! You know, like a good auntie would."

Atlas snorted. "You're just being nosey or, more probably, Mom is out of town again and you're too lazy to make your own dinner."

Atlas saw Foame's pupils dilate slightly and she averted her gaze. He hit the nail on the head. It wasn't the first time she pulled something like this. His little sister was much more the stereotypical Inkling, more interested in fun and games than developing skills one would actually need to survive out in the 'real world'.

He was tempted to leave his little sister out and let his wife tend to her egg in peace, but he knew Starla would admonish him for it. Besides, as much as she annoyed him sometimes, she was still his little sister and she'd get herself into trouble if somebody didn't watch her.

"Alright, fine you little moocher. But if Starla doesn't want visitors, you're gone."

Foame rolled her eyes and smirked. "For a married male, you don't know much about females bro. No self-respecting female would pass up a chance to show off her clutch, especially to her in-laws."

Foame turned around and walked ahead of him to the door. Atlas just shook his head and reminded himself that little sisters were born to get under their older brother's skin. He followed her up and gently pushed her aside as he unlocked and then opened the door.

"Starla" He called into the house. "I'm home."

"And I'm here too!" Foame yelled, shoving past him and kicking off her shoes before running into the house excitedly. She dropped her school bag in the hall along the way.

Atlas let out an irritated growl, picking up Foame's shoes and placing them properly in the entranceway. He mentally added another thing to the list of essential things he would be teaching his children.

"Oh my gosh, it's huge!"

Foame had found the living room and was standing at the end of the corridor gaping at the large water tank. The genuine surprise and awe on her face brought Atlas a snippet of exultation. True, they were only borrowing it from Starla's parents but still, he was providing his mate and child with a sizable living space.

Foame continued to gawk at the massive tank until he joined them in the room. Seeing Starla's amused and genteel expression eased his worries that Foame was bothering her, but there was still time.

"Oh, Starla you're baby is so lucky!" Foame ran up to the tank and placed her hands on the glass, gazing intently at the environment within. "My brother and I hatched in a bowl. This is so much better!"

It was true. Atlas remembered that bowl- not from his own hatching but from Foame's. Unlike the big tank that Starla was enjoying, his parents hadn't been able to acquire such a large environment, so they had been forced to endure with a large bowl only big enough for the egg with a bit of room for the hatchling to swim around in.

He remembered watching Foame swim around the perimeter of the bowl in constant circles for minutes at a time before she would get dizzy and start crying. There simply hadn't been enough room in their little apartment at the time for anything bigger. He shuddered at the thought of Starla being forced to squat over a bowl to lay her egg as his mother had.

"Hello Foame." Starla greeted cheerfully. The bright oranges and yellows on her mantle indicated she was pleased to see her young sister-in-law. Atlas realized that she must have been feeling lonely and criticized himself for not realizing it himself.

"Hello, yourself." Foame finally brought her voice down to an indoors volume and knelt down to be more at eye level with the nesting mother. "I see you're holding up well. It wasn't too rough was it?"

Starla shook her head slowly. "No, it was work but it was actually pretty… nice."

"Oh…." Foame breathed, gazing up and down Starla's body. Atlas wondered if she was using her to help picture what she would look like as an adult. She probably wouldn't be quite as tall as Starla, but close, he guessed.

"Do you want to see it?"

Foame blinked and then gazed where Starla's arms and tentacles were wrapped together in a protective ball. "Yes please." She whispered.

Starla just smiled and slowly unraveled her limbs, exposing the white sphere they protected. Atlas could see the reflection of Foame's face in the glass, showing him an expression he had never seen on his little sister before. Soft, gentle, warm and welcoming, as if another soul had suddenly taken possession of her body.

"Awww, what a cute little eggy weggy." She cooed. "Hey there little eggy weggy."

Atlas smiled as Starla beamed, his mate showing extreme pride and delight in Foame's admiration.

"I'll go change and get started on dinner." He said. "Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine." Foame waved him off. "I'll just stay here with Starla."

"I don't care about you; Starla's who I was asking."

Foame's mantle grew red splotches and the rest darkened to a brunswick green; an equivalent among Inklings to an expletive. He ignored it and headed upstairs to change.

Starla watched her husband leave, chuckling a little to herself at the sibling's antics. She would have preferred Foame not swearing in the presence of her child, even a silent one, but unlike her mate, she understood how volatile Inkling girls were at her age.

"He's so annoying." Foame muttered. "Seriously, does he think I'll pull something on my own cute little niece or nephew?"

"I'm sure he doesn't." Starla assured her. "He's just a little overprotective, like all husbands and fathers are once the egg comes around."

"He's a bossy know-it-all. Trust me; I've known him longer than you."

"Ah, but I've known him much more intimately than you."

Foame shut her eyes and visibly shuddered. "Ew! Don't even mention that!"

"Then trust _me_." Starla put a hand against the glass between her and Foame. "He loves you and trusts you with me."

"Well I wish he'd show it more often." She pouted. "I'm almost fourteen after all. Once I can change into my squid form properly, then I'll be able to play with the baby lots, and I don't want him stopping me just because he's an uptight stick in the mud!"

Starla laughed inwardly. Atlas and his sister couldn't be any more different. Atlas had been a model student: responsible and hardworking. Foame was a rambunctious girl who constantly got into trouble and had to be strong armed just to get her to school at all, where her grades were barely above passing.

The first time she met her had been unintentional. Foame had spotted the two of them on a date and had interrupted, spending a good five minutes teasing Atlas mercilessly about finally having female company.

It had brought Starla no end of amusement seeing the two of them bicker just like siblings were expected to. She never had siblings herself, her mother had laid a failed egg prior to her, so seeing the brother and sister have at each other with such vigour had been quite novel.

"So, I see you've started high school. Are you enjoying it so far?"

Foame shrugged nonchalantly. "Eh, it's school so that's never any good. I'd rather be doing turf wars but I'm the youngest in my class, so I haven't been able to join them yet. The uniforms are cute though."

Starla rested her head on her hand and smirked. "Yes, I see that girls are still rolling up their skirts at the waist. You'd best hope your parents don't see you doing that."

Foame's face flushed, her mantle turning a rosy-red. "It's… it's normal! Most girls do it at our school. It's the fashion and besides…. It looks good."

Starla gazed at her knowingly. Girls had done the same in her high school, rolling up the already short skirt to expose more leg, a tease to get attention from boys. She hadn't done it herself but she had never needed to. Besides that, Atlas had confessed to her that wearing her skirt at its proper length was one of the reasons he noticed her.

"Well, had any luck then?"

The teen's mantle brightened to a light pink. "No….." she mumbled. "I think I'm still too young."

"You are. Boys aren't going to be interested in a girl who can't even transform yet. Let me guess, some of your seniors told you to stick with girls until you grew some glands right?"

Foame winced, and this time her mantle turned from bright pink to an angry red. "Did that happen to you?" She asked.

"Not me, but some of my friends. Even into their second year they were being told that. It's just bullying; don't take it too seriously. With your hyperactiveness you're bound to do well in turf battles and nothing makes guys notice you more than that."

Foame cooled to a dark blue and took a deep breath to calm herself. "Sorry, guess I didn't expect to be told off so quick. Nobody ever bullied me in elementary or junior high."

"High school is always a little rougher. It's unusual for kids your age to be so interested in both turf battles and dating. Not that they've ever been exclusive but for at least the first year, it's all about the new experience of turf battles and dating only comes after you find somebody you battle with or against that strikes your fancy. Or, you don't do turf battles much and mostly watch, and you get hooked on some boy that you think is just amazing out on the turf."

Foame raised an eyebrow at her. "If you say that's how you fell for my brother, you're a filthy liar."

"What about me?"

Atlas had come back downstairs and was standing in the corridor. No doubt checking on them before he got started on dinner.

"Girl talk." Starla replied before Foame could shout at him. "Go get started on dinner. We're perfectly fine." She wrapped her arms and tentacles back around the egg which seemed to put him at ease enough for him to leave them.

"Atlas and I got together when we were older, after he was finished university and I was struggling to make a living. He was nice, smart, and seemed like a good, reliable and responsible provider. All good things to a female wanting to settle down."

"So, boring stuff." Foame smiled. "Figured." But Starla only smiled back.

"As I said, you don't know him as intimately as I do, so it's been anything but boring."

"Ew! Ew, ew, ew, no! I don't want to picture that!" She wailed.

"What's going on over there?" Atlas called from the kitchen.

"Your mate's grossing me out!" Foame called back.

"That's a switch. If she can manage to gross you out, you should probably not come to the kitchen."

Foame's face was overcome with dread and her mantle turned an off-white colour. "You're not making some super gross healthy stuff are you?"

"Of course I am! My mate and child both need high nutrition. People who show up uninvited have no room to complain."

"Wait a minute!" Foame scampered to her feet and ran to the kitchen. "Make me something else!"

"No way! I already said you have no right to- hey, get out of the fridge!"

"Why is it all gross health food stuff?"

"Because gross health food is what babies and expecting mothers eat!"

"There's no way you eat this stuff!"

"I suffer with my wife!"

"Well I'm not, so get me something else!"

"I already said you don't get to decide! Stop being such a brat!"

"You should have been prepared for guests!"

Starla giggled to herself as the siblings bickered and tenderly rubbed her egg. "As you can see, _your_ life is going to be anything but boring."

 **Author's Notes:**

 **And the sister is introduced. She was fun to write.**


	5. The Hatching

Work never seemed to end fast enough these days. Every meeting, every task, every discussion seemed to drag on too long. Atlas wasn't sure if this was only because he was anxiously still anticipating their child hatching or if he had simply become too comfortable with his job. Perhaps both.

It had been almost three-weeks since Starla has laid the egg, putting them perilously close to the expected due date. He was determined not to miss it, to the point of near paranoia. Every so often he would check his phone for a message or look at the clock to see how many minutes had passed and how much longer before his day ended. Some of his colleagues seemed to be giving him more work just to spite him.

He was relieved when five PM finally came, allowing him to finally leave his workplace. With all the work he had left, he really should stay longer, but he couldn't risk it. He absolutely didn't want to miss the baby hatching. He had prayed to both the creator and the precursors to be able to witness the hatching of his child. He could only hope his prayers would hold up. Maybe he should have visited a shrine.

The train home seemed even more crowded than usual. There was barely enough room for him and his briefcase. Some of the passengers even had to revert to squid form to get out the doors in time to disembark. Fortunately, enough passengers had gotten off by the time Atlas arrived at his stop that he didn't need to resort to such measures. He doubted his briefcase was squidform friendly.

He was relieved to finally arrive home. "Starla, I'm home!" He didn't expect a reply, he never usually got once since Starla would have to rise to the surface to project her voice, so he was surprised when he heard:

"Atlas! Get over here right now and have your phone ready to record!"

Atlas stumbled out of the porch and ran as fast as he could to the living room, his socks almost causing him to slip on the laminate wood floor of the corridor. Starla's panic could only mean two things: either there was a problem or the baby was hatching.

"What is it? Starla, what's wrong?"

"Phone!" She snapped. "Start recording!"

Atlas shoved his hand into his pocket and fumbled with his phone for several seconds until he managed to activate the video camera and pointed it at Starla.

"Not at me!" She shouted. "At the egg! It's hatching!"

Peering through the screen, Atlas noticed bulges appearing and disappearing in the egg case. Something, the baby, was trying to break out of it and making quite a concerted effort.

"How long has it been like this?" He asked breathlessly.

"About a minute before you got here." Starla knelt down on the sand and brought her face close to the restless egg. "Come on baby, come to Mama. Daddy's here too. We're both waiting for you." She sang.

The egg continued to bulge again and again as the little creature inside fought to try and get out, pushing and no doubt biting the shell and casing around it.

"Come on!" Atlas cheered. "You can do it! If I made it out, so can you!"

Starla rolled her eyes. "Such a typical fatherly thing to say."

"So?"

Suddenly there was a tearing sound that shut them both up. The shapes of the bulges had changed now, and they could see a shadow behind the whiteness of the egg casing.

"It's out of the egg!" Starla squealed excitedly. "Now it just has to break through the casing!"

"Don't help it." He told her. "It can get out on its own."

"I wasn't going to." She pouted. "Come on baby." She said softly. "Mommy's waiting for you! Come to Mommy."

Suddenly there bulges shifted and became more concentrated in Starla's direction, their child instantly recognizing its mother's voice. There was a small noise as a little tear was made in the case and then frantic chirping until, finally, through the tiny hole made, a little translucent blob squeezed through.

The couple gasped as their child, a tiny squirming mass of frantic limbs and a large mantle burst out into the world. It began chirping frantically as it spun around, not quite able to control its direction.

Starla's mantle was awash with shifting waves of serene blues, pinks, and her natural purple. She uttered a soft, gentle chirp of her own, immediately catching the hatchling's attention. It looked at her with its big green eyes, his eyes, and then it seemed to place what it was seeing with Starla's gentle voice. It uttered a high pitched series of chirps of its own as it clumsily swam up to Starla. It bumped lightly against her cheek and flailed its little arms frantically before she wrapped it up gently in her long tentacles, using one of her suckers to hold onto the hatchling more delicately than she could manage with her hands.

Starla lay on her side and began to gently hum a soft soothing melody while her mantle continued shimmering in a variety of soothing colours. Only a female could display so many different colours at once. Before children could speak or properly understand words, colour was the primary means of communication.

When he felt like he had caught enough of the colourful display on camera, Atlas moved the phone over to catch the first proper, still glimpse of the hatchling, their child. He was still in shock, the fact that it was his child in Starla's arms still hadn't sunk in. After such a long wait, it was finally here.

Their child would not develop its natural colour for several months, until then it would be translucent when its chromatophores were not in use. Atlas could make out it's small beak, a little white nub that would eventually develop into the full top and bottom pieces all full grown inklings shared. It's arms were in the same place, but they had yet to develop the proper muscle mass to turn them into functional appendages and hadn't developed wrists or fingers yet. Its feet were only a pair of stubby flippers. At this stage it was almost impossible to tell its gender without close examination but….

"I think it's a girl," Starla whispered as their baby alternated between a light blue and a bright pink. "I just… have a feeling." She nuzzled her new baby tenderly, transferring the warmth from her cheek into their child.

Atlas crouched down and kept the camera pointed at the heartwarming scene in front of him. He was having a hard time processing that little blob with barely distinct head, body and limbs was his child- the one they had been waiting for so long.

"Should I call the doctor?" He asked softly.

"Later," she whispered back. "Right now, Mommy just wants to spend time with her baby."

Atlas smiled and turned off the recording. "Well, she looks healthy as can be anyway. Looks tired too."

True enough, the little one's eyelids drooped and her movements seemed more lethargic with every passing second. She was no doubt exhausted from the frantic effort to leave her egg and the brief search for her mother.

Starla began to gently stroke their baby's mantle with a delicacy a brain surgeon could only envy. "Then I'll sleep here with her. Can you bring some food? She'll be hungry when she wakes up."

"Sure, Sugar Sponge, and good job."

She giggled. "Thanks. You too."

Oh how badly he wanted to wrap her in his arms and kiss her at that moment. But, that was the pain of having the tank. The separation it sometimes created. Even so, he could see them, hear them, so even if he couldn't touch his family at the moment, he was still with them.

As he stood up and headed to the kitchen, he could hear Starla humming a gentle tune. It sounded beautiful, even through the glass of the tank, and it was distinct from any humming he had ever heard from him before. Was it because she was now officially a mother? Maybe.

He grabbed the bag of baby ready food from its place in the kitchen and brought it back, placing it on the platform straddling the tank wall. It suddenly seemed like only yesterday he installed it.

Starla's humming trailed off as she too fell asleep, her baby held snugly against her.

Atlas smiled and shut off the lights before sitting down on the couch. Starla's luminescence bathed the living room in gentle blue, blending to purple and back again. In his mind, she had never looked more beautiful or happy than she did right now. All he could think of doing was sitting there on the couch and watching her sleep with their new baby. And then, without realizing it, he too fell asleep.

 **Author's Notes:**

 **And at last, the child is finally hatched. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned till Sunday for the next one.**


	6. The Tenacity

Chapter 6: The Tenacity

The next few days after their child's hatching were hectic for the new parents. First, there was the visit from the doctor to check their hatchling's health and confirm that Starla had indeed been correct; they now had a baby girl in their family. The fact that the doctor had given her a bill of perfect health only cemented their joy and Atlas wasted no time sending pictures of their new daughter to every friend and relative. He even sent one to his boss Jellardo, earning him a few days off to take care of his wife and daughter.

"Atlas!" Starla called from the tank's surface. "Isn't that stuff mixed yet?"

"I have it, I have it!" Atlas ran into the living room carrying a small bowl containing ground up bits of meat mixed with plankton, a mixture that blended into a sickly green colour. When he placed it on the platform in front of Starla's face, he couldn't help but smile at the disgusted expression she had.

"I can't believe I ate this stuff as a baby." She groaned. "I can't believe I'm making my baby eat it."

Atlas couldn't wipe the silly grin off his face. Her reaction was both adorable and amusing. "But what really bothers you is that you have to put it in your mouth and taste it, right?"

She glared daggers at him and her mantle turned a darker shade of purple. Sleepless nights with her baby had worn her patience thin but he still couldn't help but tease her. "Yes," She growled in acknowledgement. "Keep giving me those smug looks and I'll start taking apart your face."

"As you wish." He replied, but he still found it impossible to remove the smile himself. She seemed to pay it no mind though as she took the spoonful of the baby food and forced it into her mouth. Her face contorted with disgust and she coughed a little but she still managed to force two more spoonfuls into her mouth. With her cheeks full of the disgusting mixture, she began to chew thoroughly, which was Atlas' cue to call the baby.

Everyone who had heard about the hatching immediately wanted to know their child's name but it was common among Inklings to wait a few days before christening the new life. They wanted to know more about their child before naming it, learning their personality. Atlas and Starla were no different and after a few days, they knew enough about their daughter to finally name her.

Atlas reached down and started to lightly splash the surface of the water. "Tenacity." He called gently. "Time for food."

He crouched down on the ladder step to peer through the glass, looking for his daughter. Soon he spotted the small excited shape working her way to the surface from one of the small rocks on the bottom, chirping delightedly.

Starla submerged with the mouthful of formula and extended her tentacles forward, inviting her baby towards her mouth. Tenacity didn't take long, using furious paddles of her little limbs and the occasional tiny burst from her underdeveloped funnel.

When she was close, Starla spat out a little hunk of thoroughly chewed meat and green plankton, sticky with her saliva. Most would consider that disgusting but a mother's saliva contained many beneficial electrolytes in addition to proteins important to the development of the baby's immune system.

Tenacity, or Tassie, as they were affectionately calling her, pecked at every morsel Starla spat into the water, making sure nothing was left before she went to the next. Some of it inevitably landed on the bottom, but even after Starla finished feeding her, she would, as long as she wasn't too full, go down and start searching every nook and cranny in the tank for bits she had missed.

It was that trait that inspired Atlas with her name. From his history studies in high school and university, he knew some words derived from the precursor languages, one of which was the word Tenacity, a word that meant persistence and determination, traits their child proudly exhibited.

Atlas smiled as Tassie let out a small burp, causing a bubble to rush to the surface with a pop. The first time that happened she had started crying but this time she didn't let it bother her and resumed feeding.

Inkling hatchlings had a voracious appetite. Tassie hadn't really grown since hatching but she had developed strength and she swam around the tank constantly, wanting to explore every part of her environment. That trait probably wouldn't be so adorable once she started living outside the tank. Just thinking about it made him groan.

Nice as it was to watch though, Altas always felt like an outside observer instead of a father. Stuck on the outside with a solid wall of glass between them, he couldn't help but feel a sense of detachment from his family. It was as if they were in two different worlds.

"Atlas!"

Jarred from his inner thoughts, he found Starla rocking Tassie in her arms and looking at him with concern. "Huh? Uh, what's wrong?"

"You're what's wrong." She said. "You just seemed out of it. I'd been calling you and you weren't answering."

Atlas had no idea so much time had passed. Had he been stuck in the world of his own thoughts that long? Starla had even finished feeding Tenacity. That must have meant he had been out for at least fifteen minutes.

"Oh… well…. It's nothing."

Starla's stare morphed into a frown. "Don't lie to me. Something's wrong."

Atlas grimaced. He could never hide things like that from her. "Nothing important", he insisted. "Just...it's been awhile since I've even held you. Even though we're in the same room with only a little bit of glass between us I…" he let his voice trail off.

He wasn't sure if it was just because he didn't want to say it or if he couldn't bring himself to admit it. It seemed unmasculine somehow. He immediately chided himself for that thought. He hadn't cared much about masculinity when he'd focused on studying instead of Turf Battles. Why would he start now?

Starla's eyes narrowed, studying him suspiciously. "Get up." She commanded.

"Hm? What?"

She gestured with her chin upwards and then floated to the surface. Atlas scrambled off the couch and to the top of the stepladder, meeting his wife where her head breached the surface. She let her arms move away from her chest and towards him.

"Hold her."

Atlas felt a lump rise in his throat. "Hold her? But-"

"Keep her in the water, but you can still hold her from there." She fixed him with a stern gaze. "I will not have my baby be removed from her father. We're a family."

Her tone and fierce look left no room for argument, and if Atlas was honest with himself, he wouldn't argue. He wanted, desperately to hold that child-his child. He wanted her to look at him and see him as her father, a loved one, a parent.

Kneeling on the small platform he brought his hands towards the water but watching Starla with caution. Inkling females were notoriously protective of their hatchlings, especially if they were in a tank. Loved ones surprising the female, or outright ignoring her, by diving in to get a peek at the egg or new baby could be savagely mauled purely by instinct. Even deaths had occurred in the past. The instinct was so powerful that Inkling law did not prosecute females who murdered within their tanks or in any separate environment set aside for their young. Even husbands and siblings had died this way.

Atlas forced himself to remember that those especially violent incidents were extreme and very rare cases, but Starla's colour had certainly changed. It was now a dark orange and he could tell by her expression that she was straining.

"Go on." She insisted.

He couldn't. Not yet. He had to help calm her first. She'd never forgive herself if she hurt him or frightened their child. Carefully, he reached over and started to gently stroke her mantle. Her colour instantly changed to a much lighter orange with a few waves of green blending in and out.

"What are you doing?" She asked quietly.

"Giving my mate affection." He smiled. "It's been a while."

Starla's cheeks flushed lightly but she couldn't help wrapping her tentacles around his arm wantingly. The orange had cooled to her natural purple as she relaxed. She had missed the affection, the closeness they had shared. He had missed it too.

After a moment she released his arm and gestured again to their barely conscious child. Atlas wasn't sure if she was trying to go to sleep or if she was just waking up. He watched Starla carefully as he slowly lowered his hands into the water. Her purple darkened slightly but she kept it under control and slowly submerged his hands, letting Starla very gently slip Tenacity into them.

His breath hitched in his throat as he felt his daughter for the first time. Her tiny, soft body landing in his palm, her undeveloped limbs instinctively grabbing wrapping clumsily around his fingers. She was very warm, and incredibly squishy, lacking almost anything rigid apart from her inner shell, but more than that was the feeling of finally holding his baby girl in his hands for the first time.

Tenacity let out a few gurgles and then looked up at him with drowsy eyes but they slowly seemed to awaken, looking up at him curiously. She seemed dimly aware that she was in the hold of someone other than her trusted mother but she didn't seem upset by it, merely curious.

"Hey there Tenacity." He whispered. He didn't know what else to say. He was overwhelmed, his heart was soaring. His daughter couldn't be any more perfect and neither could this moment. He rubbed one of the edges that made the arrow shape of her head, causing her to twist her neck in the same direction, wondering what was causing that feeling. She was a curious girl.

He looked again at Starla, who didn't seem quite as calm as before. Her mantle was a darker purple and she was biting her bottom lip. Clearly having her child in someone else's arms, even the arms of her mate, was not something that sat well with her instincts. His father had warned him to expect this. It still felt much too soon but he realized he would have to give Tenacity back to her now before his wife went mad.

Before he could do anything though, Tassie squirmed out of his hands and started to swim around in the water, spinning around his hands as if to examine them. He wondered if she could already tell that his hands felt different from her mother's.

On the bright side, Starla seemed to have relaxed a little, her mantle relaxing closer to her natural purple tone. Atlas smiled at her and then let out a yipe of pain, yanking his hands out of the water by reflex. There was a small nip in his skin that was started to bleed slightly, but he soon forgot about that as the tank echoed with shrill chirps as Tassie zipped to Starla and tried to hide behind her tentacular clubs.

Starla let out a little laugh and grabbed Tassie with her sucker. "Awww Tenacity, you shouldn't bite Daddy. You'll frighten him."

"She bit me?" He asked incredulously. "Why?"

Starla rolled her eyes. "Oh Atlas, babies bite things because they don't know what else to do to learn about something other than how it feels and tastes. Go put a bandage on it and come back."

Atlas sighed and headed to the bathroom where they kept the bandages. They always had a tendency to come undone whenever they went into squid form but Atlas had no plans of doing that for a while. In fact, he often went months without ever entering squid form. He simply had no need to.

Having bandaged his injured hand he headed back down the stairs. At the bottom, his phone buzzed with a text message. Reading it as he returned to the living room, dread washed over his face and his mantle turned a worried grey colour.

Having managed to calm Tenacity down, Starla looked at him perplexed. "What is it now?"

Atlas swallowed. "Foame…. achieved her squid form today."

"Did she? Wow, she's not ever fourteen yet."

Atlas groaned. "This is going to be a nightmare. It figures that with her impatience she would be an early bloomer."

Starla giggled. "Just think of it as practice."

"Practice for what?"

Starla stroked Tenacity's mantle. "For when she gets out of the tank."

Atlas groaned again, but louder. "Great, then I'll be dealing with two of 'em!" Starla only laughed.

 **Author's Notes:**

 **The child has been named at last. Rejoice everyone for you now know the reason for the title. Stay tuned for the next chapter on Thursday.**


	7. The Family

Chapter 7: The Family

"Tenacity Kelper, settle down or you'll be too tired to play when they get here." Atlas' words fell on deaf otoliths as Tassie swam in excited circles. She didn't know what was happening but she clearly knew that something was going to happen and was eagerly anticipating it.

'Well, at least she's not crying.' He thought sourly to himself, taking note, not for the first time, that his beloved Starla was no longer within the tank.

For three weeks since Tassie's hatching, Starla had remained in the tank with her. Almost a week ago, she had emerged, albeit reluctantly, leaving their precious child alone in the tank for the very first time.

Tassie had been confused at first by her mother's leaving, unsure what it meant, simply trying to wrap her little brain around merely the concept of not being within the same four walls as her. It gave her the first true feeling of separation and the little thing had gone into a panic, chirping and wailing frantically.

Atlas had to force Starla to leave the room and let their child cry and be afraid. It was an important, albeit painful time for both parents and child. Starla refused to be away long though. She took only enough time to dry herself and put on some basic clothes before rushing back to the tank. Once there, she sat on the platform and dipped her hands in the water again, Tassie swimming frantically up to her and wrapping her little limbs around her hands with an iron grip.

Starla had been on the brink of madness before she had regained physical contact with her child. Horribly distraught as her precious baby wailed and fretted without her there with her. It wasn't just Tassie who had become a bit dependent. Starla had also gotten rather used to being within near arm's reach of her child at all times. It made Atlas wonder if they hadn't both been coddled a little too much.

'Dad's gonna scold me for that.' He thought.

With time though, the two got more used to being apart. Starla still slept in the tank with Tenacity at night, allowing them both to have a peaceful rest. Unfortunately, Atlas couldn't say the same for himself. It had been almost two months since he had slept with his own wife. Speaking of which….

"Starla!" He called. "They're going to be here any minute. Are you ready yet?"

His shout prompted Tassie to stop moving and peer at him through the glass wondering what was up. Starla's voice came down from upstairs in a terse reply.

"Do you know how long it's been since I've had to wear clothes? I haven't gotten all my strength back from being in the tank yet either."

That was true. She had spent so much time in the tank that her muscles had atrophied somewhat. She would tire more easily until she got her strength back.

"Just don't dally or else Tassie will be meeting the family without her mother with her and I'll be presenting her without my beautiful wife." He waited a moment but there was no reply. Experience told him though, that Starla was hurrying.

Tassie chirped curiously and resumed her swimming, but at a more relaxed pace. Atlas checked his phone for any messages but found none. He was stuck in limbo, keeping Tassie company while he waited for either his wife or their relatives.

He wondered how much of Foame's over-enthusiasm would motivate his parents to arrive sooner. She was no doubt eager to show off her new squid form. It made him cringe just thinking about it. He was desperate to ensure that Tassie would only see her as a crazy aunt.

Finally, Starla arrived in the living room, dressed and ready to present her child to the family. She wore a dark blue dress with a black sash and dress shoes. Tassie chirped at her mother and Starla giggled, walking over to the tank and bringing her face close to the glass.

"Hey Tassie. Mommy got all dressed up because she's showing you to the family for the first time. Are you excited? Awww you excited?" Tassie chirped enthusiastically, probably not understanding but indeed excited by her mother's tone and new appearance.

Atlas came up behind Starla and wrapped his arms around her waist. "That dress looks beautiful on you."

She giggled and hugged him back with her tentacles. "Well, are you going to start appreciating me more now that you've been without me for a while?"

"I always appreciated you." He insisted. "But… yeah, I probably will treasure you even more than I did before. Impossible as that seems."

"As long as you realize it." She smiled at him and they shared a quick kiss. As if on cue, the doorbell rang.

Tassie started chirping loudly, wondering what the noise was and what it might mean. She started swimming around in excited loops until she accidentally bumped into the glass. Atlas felt some pride rise in his chest when she didn't cry and instead resumed her enthusiastic chirping.

"I'll get it." Atlas smiled. "You try to keep her from hurting herself." Starla rolled her eyes and let him go.

Atlas gave Tassie a little wave as he left. No sooner did he open the door that he was nearly run over by a green blur that could only be one person. Before he could even open his mouth however, someone else beat him to it.

"Foame! No running in the house!" The unmistakable voice of his mother yelled after her.

The blur, also known as his sister Foame, slowed, barely, before sliding into the living room on her socked feet and letting out a high-pitched squeal.

"Oh my gosh! She's so cute!"

His mother sighed and picked Foame's shoes up, placing them neatly in the porch area. His father entered right behind her, carrying an armful of packages, gifts for Tassie no doubt. "Nice to see you again son." He greeted.

"Same Dad. Sorry you had to wait so long to see your first grandchild."

"There wasn't any rush." He laughed. He looked sideways towards his wife while she seemed to be purposefully avoiding his gaze.

Both of his parents were roughly the same shade of green as he was. His mother was actually short for a female, being only slightly taller than his father. Her eyes were a vivid pink which clashed oddly with her green hair, but she never looked no less beautiful to him.

"Well anyway, Starla and Tassie are waiting in the living room. Tassie in particular is excited to see what's going on."

"I'm sure she is." His mother smiled. "Starla tells me she's quite the energetic little thing."

"In short bursts." He acknowledged. "She can't be any worse than Foame was."

She grinned at him. "Well, that remains to be seen."

In the living room, Starla was beaming with pride as her young sister-in-law fawned and gushed over her child. Foame's face was up against the glass and she was making funny faces that made Tassie giggle. Atlas was just happy she didn't seem to be frightening her.

Starla stood to her feet as the new grandparents arrived and quickly embraced Atlas' mother. "Thanks for coming Miori. I'm sorry you had to wait so long to see the baby."

"Oh it's alright dear. I know how it is. The one problem with a big tank is that the baby has to adapt to a lot of different things and it's a slower process. Don't want to overwhelm the poor thing."

Starla nodded. "Thanks for understanding. Go on, she's excited to meet all the new people."

"Where do you want these?" Atlas gestured to his father, carrying the packages.

"Just put them behind the couch for now Harl. We'll give them to her when the introductions are done. Atlas, can you get the snacks from the kitchen?"

Atlas nodded obediently and left his wife to manage the guests while he retrieved the snacks. When he returned, Foame went for them right away, finally making room for their parents to get a good look at their grandchild.

His father watched mostly in silence while his mother tried talking to her. Tassie just stared at them, just looking like more strange and unknown entities to her. His mother started showing her one of the gifts she brought her, a storybook made for reading underwater. She showed Tassie the brightly coloured pages and the hatchling was immediately enthralled.

"Babies sure are simple," Foame said with a smile.

"Not just babies." Atlas replied, smirking at her. "So, did you officially start turf wars yet?"

Foame lightly glared at him for his comment but left it in lieu of the more pleasant topic. "Well, yeah I guess. Nobody's invited me onto their team yet but I've done okay in randoms. I've only got a lousy Splattershot Jr. though."

"I said you could use my old ones. I'm never using them again."

"Couldn't find them. Mom hid them way back so I wouldn't get at them. I think she might have sold them at a garage sale and forgot."

He sighed. "Yeah, that sounds like her. Are you at least having fun?"

"I'm having a blast! I finally feel like I'm in high school now and people aren't looking down to me. Sure I'm still in the bottom ranks but I'm getting higher."

'It's hard to do worse when you're starting at the bottom.' He thought.

The doorbell rang again. Probably Starla's parents this time. Atlas got halfway off his chair before Starla waved for him to stay, opting to to answer the door herself.

The happy shouts from the entrance seemed to indicate that it was indeed her parents. Ton and Sun Swiftcurrent had both been prominent Turf Battlers in their high-school days, both reaching A rank, and then, after college, they ended up as an accountant and stockbroker respectively.

Unlike a lot of guys, Atlas never really needed to prove himself to his wife's parents. Having a good, stable, and well-paying job lined up by the time they started dating during his University days put him well ahead of most other Inkling males in his their age group. Since then, Ton had helped him get some tax breaks as a student and Sun had helped them make some small but worthwhile investments. In all, he had a great relationship with his in-laws, something his own father had never quite been able to say.

Atlas stood to greet them and happily shook Ton's hand. Sun gave him a hug and then the two joined his own parents at the tank, gazing at Tassie. Sun pulled out a new little toy from her purse and shook it in front of the little hatchling, producing a rattle from it that caught her full attention.

Starla shook her head but he had rarely seen her with such a broad smile. As their parents oohed and awwwed at their daughter, Atlas found himself slowly reaching out and pulling his mate into his lap, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close.

They watched as their family interacted with Tassie, while she in turn spun and swam excitedly. She seemed to delight in all the new people and the toys she was being shown. Soon though, she started to tire and began settling down to the bottom on the small rock she enjoyed sleeping on.

"Awwww, is she sleepy already?" Foame moaned.

"Babies always tire quickly dear." Her mother replied. "Now let's give her some space and keep it quiet."

Foame sat down and crossed her legs. "I just wanna stay here, and watch her."

"Alright, just be quiet."

Atlas pulled out a chair for his mother to join the rest of them. Starla had gotten more snacks from the kitchen after Foame had eaten the first plate on her own.

"She seems incredibly healthy Starla." His mother said quietly. "Well done."

"Thank you." Starla was practically beaming, her mantle literally glowing.

"And what about you Atlas?" Ton asked. "You been doing alright being separated from your wife?"

He shrugged. "Well it has been a period of adjustment, and I would certainly prefer to stay close to her, but…." he looked at Tenacity dozing peacefully on her rock in the tank. "It's hard to argue when your daughter looks so happy and peaceful with her. If you think she looks pleasant now, seeing them sleep together soothes the soul, especially after a long day of work."

Starla rolled her eyes and lightly jabbed him. "Yeah right."

"It's true." He insisted. "Though I yearn to be with you whenever we are apart, I always appreciate what you go through for Tassie."

"You're just trying to sound good in front of our parents."

"Not something I have to try hard at right?"

"Harl, Miori, tell your son to stop being cocky."

The parents just chuckled at the young couple's antics. Soon the conversation spilled into other topics. How life was going for all of them, sports, but mostly Starla and Atlas' future plans, especially for Tassie.

Even though the two didn't have a real plan yet, their parents had confidence them, and it was clear that whatever her future held, Tenacity would have plenty of people who loved her and love her dearly.

 **Author's Notes:**

 **This is probably the weakest chapter overall but it's still important to meet the family and I got to write Foame again.**


	8. The Epilogue

Chapter 8: Epilogue

"Do we have everything?"

"Yes Starla, we have everything. We've gone over the list five times over. We have towels, toys, her jammies, even a portable heater. We're not taking her on an international flight Starla."

"I just want to be sure." The lady of the house huffed indignantly at her husband. "We're bringing her out of the tank for the first time and she'll either love the new experience or cry like never before."

Atlas personally doubted Tenacity could freak out any more than she had when Starla left the tank the first time since her hatching, but he decided to leave the comment to himself.

It had been another week since their family had come to see Tenacity for the first time, and since then she had graduated from needing Starla to sleep with her in the tank to let her sleep on a mattress next to it. Slowly but surely, she was gaining enough independence to not need her mother at her very side; however, she still needed to develop suitable muscles to move out of the water and that would be a much longer process. It would take her at least another year before she could walk.

All that energetic swimming she had done had paid off, giving her muscles more than strong enough to support herself and move on land once she learned how. She already had the flippers that would become her hands and feet; the nubs that would be her fingers and toes.

"I think it's now or she's staying in the tank till she's fourteen." He said with just a hint of firmness in his voice. "Don't make this any harder for yourself Starla."

His wife frowned at him, her eyes hard. She took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled before standing up. She discarded her bathrobe and walked up to the tank to begin yet another stage in their daughter's young life.

Tenacity had been watching the proceedings with the same boundless curiosity she always seemed to have. As her mother approached she swam up to the surface to greet her with a cheerful chirp.

Starla's frown was replaced by a reassuring smile, but her eyes held a certain anguish in them. She knew she was about to do something that would make her precious baby upset, that would probably scare her, make her cry.

Tenacity had been taken out of the water before. Starla and he had both held her above the water's surface. She hadn't liked it, probably because she hadn't been able to breathe until she started to cry, forcing her lungs to start working, which probably hurt too. Over the week she managed to get used to it where she didn't cry. This would be a whole other level however, being taken out of the tank completely, out of those four glass walls that had been her world.

Very carefully, Starla dipped her tentacles into the water and let Tassie fasten herself to her sucker before tenderly lifting her up and out with both her clubs.

Atlas was amazed by the total and absolute trust Tassie had in her mother. He had heard many times of children refusing to be easily caught at this stage, dodging and weaving until they got exhausted and their parents could catch them and drag them out flailing and screaming. Tenacity was making no such fuss, at least not yet.

"Towel."

Atlas grabbed a bright pink towel and rushed over. Starla took it and held it open as she slowly and tenderly lowered their squirming daughter into the soft fluffy fabric. The moment she made contact with it, her body froze. The hatchling's skin was transmitting sensations to her brain she had never felt before and had no idea how to process yet. Whatever it was, she seemed to like it and Tassie let out a pleasant trill as Starla wrapped her up in the soft material.

Starla seemed a bit more relaxed now, releasing Tassie from her suckers and holding her close to her chest as she dried her off with a care and gentleness only a mother could possess. Atlas helped support her as she made her way down the stepladder and onto the floor.

It was only now, as Tassie looked around and started to recognize things she knew from within the tank, did she begin to realize she was being taken away from her comfort zone, what in her mind was her home. It started out as a whimper but by the time she was placed on the blanket splayed out on the floor, it had become a full strength wail.

Starla sighed. "Oh Tassie, you were doing so well."

"I think she did pretty good considering what most parents go through at this stage." Atlas reminded her.

Starla shrugged. "Well no helping it now I guess." She unwrapped Tassie from the towel, exposing her to the open air.

"Is the heater okay?" He asked.

"It's fine."

Starla grabbed the little purple jammies and began the frustrating process of slipping her crying and squirming hatchling into it. The lack of fingers and toes probably made it just a little bit easier. Atlas tried rubbing Tassie's head in an attempt to calm her down but it proved useless.

Once zipped up in her little jammies, Starla picked her up and started rocking her gently against her chest, but it seemed to do little to soothe their daughter.

It was at that point that Atlas remembered how he had always hated crying babies in public- how it had annoyed him. Right now though he wasn't so much annoyed as at a loss of what to do to remove Tassie's unhappiness.

He grabbed one of the toys their parents had brought her, a rattle, and shook it over her head. Her crying went down to a whimper again as she saw the toy and heard the delightful rattle it made, but then she resumed her loud lamenting, putting him back at square one.

"Well at least her lungs are getting exercise." Starla said.

"Isn't that supposed to be the husband's line?" He asked with an accepting smile.

"Fathers aren't the only ones who can see silver linings." She replied with a smug grin. "Come on, I have an idea."

Starla headed back towards the tank and Atlas though she was going to put Tassie up against the glass so she could see it and calm down but instead, she walked past the tank and to the sliding glass door that led outside to the concrete pad.

For the first time in her life, Tenacity felt the warm rays of the sun, heard the chirping of the birds and the buzzing of insects. Her wailing calmed to a disgruntled burbling and her crying eyes opened to gaze and stare at all the never before seen sights.

Atlas realized that his daughter had never even seen the outdoors before. They had to block off all the windows and doors in the living room so that nobody outside would see Starla naked and-

Atlas turned dark pink with alarm and embarrassment as he immediately realized the massive issue staring him right in the face, and Starla was totally unaware. As she sat on one of the chairs, he dashed back into the house and grabbed her bathrobe. Starla was giving him a strange look as he dashed back until she saw him holding the bathrobe and her mantle turned a luminous pink.

She stood up and let him quickly wrap the robe around her, letting him hold Tassie just long enough for her to slip her arms into the sleeves and tie it up. The sudden rush of activity silenced Tenacity's crying and she became intrigued by Starla's bright pink colouration and luminosity.

Taking the mercifully quiet child back into her arms, Starla sat back down in silence and shame. Atlas bit his lip to help negate any threat of casting a witty remark and simply sat on the chair beside her. He said nothing- he dared not to; he only reached over and began stroking her right tentacle with the back of his hand. He only hoped that wouldn't be too far. She did nothing to dissuade him from what he was doing so he guessed she appreciated the gesture.

The mood shifted again when Tassie let out a chirp and reached up with one of her arms to a bird flying high above them. Atlas smiled and rubbed her little head.

"Yup, that's a bird Tassie. Pretty soon you'll be able to say 'bird'."

Starla laughed. "Well if she wants to explore, let's help her." Starla stood up and knelt down on the pad near the lawn, letting Tassie reach out and touch the blades of soft green grass. Her little eyes stared at it in awe, whacking the little blades and trying vainly to wrap her arms around them.

Starla giggled at her attempts and then brought her over to stare at some beetles crawling around the back of the cement pad. She didn't let her touch them, but Tassie still stared at them in wonder and fascination. However, while Starla delighted in her daughter's curiosity and wonder, Atlas was stuck worrying that his little girl would be a massive handful when she got older.

Later was mealtime, which proved a lot more eventful as Tassie was fed outside of the water for the first time. Starla still had to pre-chew and salivate her food, which seemed much more disgusting out of water than in it. It didn't seem to matter to Tenacity however as she lived up to her namesake and gobbled up everything in front of her.

After dinner, she had a nap, her first time sleeping out of water. She didn't particularly like it and slept only for a short time but it was long enough for Atlas to drop the baby monitor into the tank near her favorite rock and set up the other one on their night table.

Starla had changed into some proper clothes and they watched TV for the first time as a family, creating more things to fascinate and bewilder their hatchling. There were a few little things for a child her age to watch but most of it was completely intolerable for an intelligent adult.

When dinner rolled around, Tassie decided to spice up the meal by throwing some of the food around, probably to see what happened. What happened was a big mess with bits of slobbery food all over the floor and on Starla's face.

Since Atlas couldn't help but laugh at the scene, Starla informed him it was his responsibility to clean up the mess while she cleaned up Tassie. Totally worth it.

Eventually, their eventful day came to a close. A drowsy Tassie was taken out of her soft jammies and placed gently into her beloved tank. 

Although curious about the new device close to her favorite rock, she was too tired to properly investigate and settled onto the rock to sleep. And while Starla sang her a lullaby to lull her into unconsciousness, Atlas went upstairs to their bedroom, eagerly awaiting the moment he had been anticipating for a long time.

For almost two months he had gone to bed alone. Now, finally, they would be sleeping together again, relying on the baby monitor to keep them appraised of any situation with Tassie.

He wanted everything to be perfect for their first night back together. The mattress had been aired out, the sheets were fresh, the window had been open almost all day to bring plenty of fresh air into the room. Just as an added touch, he lit one of the aroma candles Starla loved, slowly filling the room with a sweet, fruity scent.

"Someone's eager."

Atlas nearly jumped and turned to the doorway where Starla stood, grinning at him. "W-well it has been a while and I don't think there's anything wrong with a husband wanting to go back to sharing a bed with his wife."

She giggled and strode towards him. He couldn't help but noticed a playful sway in her hips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned down to kiss him firmly on the lips.

"It's okay. I missed it too."

Atlas smiled back at her. "Then let's miss it no longer." With a single swift and well-practiced movement, he swept her off her feet, eliciting a little yelp from Starla as she fell into his arms. This was no mean feat given their disparity in size and weight. Males typically packed more strength for their size but all that feminine mass counted for something and Starla was noticeably heavier since she became pregnant.

Atlas tried not to show it but he was never in the best shape to begin with and damn, Starla had always felt heavy. It took all his strength just to keep from falling over. Gritting his teeth he stepped carefully towards the bed, which thankfully wasn't far. One step, two steps, three. Finally, at five he slowly pivoted and, as gently as he could manage, deposited his wife onto the bed.

He felt so relieved to have made it without faltering but the macho act couldn't fool his wife.

"You better not have hurt yourself." She said.

"I'm fine, just… it's been awhile."

She laughed and threw one of her tentacles towards him, wrapping it around his waist and yanking him into bed with her. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly against her chest.

"Still feeling macho?"

"It's a lot more work for me." He said into her chest, but she just smiled and kissed him on the forehead. Oh, how he had missed this.

"I wish we could play more." She sighed, "But I'm pretty tired. Mommy's had a long day."

"I'm sure she has." Atlas managed to worm an arm out and stroke Starla's mantle. She hummed pleasantly and settled under the covers and against her pillow.

"Well good night then my love."

Atlas smiled and kissed her bottom lip. "Goodnight, my lovlier."

She giggled lightly at the old pet name and then finally settled down for a quiet sleep. And there they lay, together again, quiet, serene, happy and peaceful- until about 2 AM when a shrill crying blared through the baby monitor.

 **THE END**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Well, sadly this is the last chapter. I had a lot of fun writing this fic and I was glad to keep the update schedule, mostly, till the end. Thank you all for reading. I enjoyed thinking of how the Inklings family dynamics might work and how they cared for their young. It struck me early on, learning about squids, that their eggs were intended to hatch underwater, and while I doubt it's strictly necessary it's probably more beneficial, so that's where the idea for the tank came in and things evolved from there.**

 **I am working on another Splatoon fic, or at least entertaining several ideas. I hope you will be able to read them soon. Please look forward to them.**

 **Thank you for reading.**

 **~Roguespirit**


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